Ross Winston Morgan (born 12 February 1941) is a former New Zealand cricketer who played 20 Tests for New Zealand between 1965 and 1972 as a middle-order batsman and off-spinner.[1]

Ross Morgan
Personal information
Full name
Ross Winston Morgan
Born (1941-02-12) 12 February 1941 (age 83)
Auckland, New Zealand
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm offbreak
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 104)29 January 1965 v Pakistan
Last Test20 April 1972 v West Indies
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1957/58–1976/77Auckland
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 20 136
Runs scored 734 5940
Batting average 22.24 27.50
100s/50s 0/5 8/32
Top score 97 166
Balls bowled 1,114 8339
Wickets 5 108
Bowling average 121.79 32.94
5 wickets in innings 0 4
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 1/16 6/40
Catches/stumpings 12/– 85/1
Source: Cricinfo, 1 April 2017

Domestic career

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Morgan was only 16 when he made his first-class debut for Auckland in 1957–58. Good all-round form in the Plunket Shield in 1964–65, including 6 for 40 against Central Districts (which remained the best figures of his career),[2] and 112 not out against Wellington a few days later,[3] led to his selection in the Test team.[4]

He continued playing for Auckland until 1976–77. His highest first-class score was 166 for Auckland against Canterbury at Auckland in 1968–69, out of a total of 314 for 8 declared.[5]

He played senior club cricket for Parnell in Auckland for more than 30 years, establishing club records which have yet to be broken: most runs (16,028) and most wickets (692).[6]

International career

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Coming into the Test team when John Sparling withdrew from the selected side,[4] Morgan scored 66 on his debut against Pakistan in the Second Test in Auckland in 1964–65, which was the top score on either side in the match.[7] In the next match of the series in Christchurch he scored 97, which was once again New Zealand's top score for the match.[8] He remained in the Test side for the three series in India, Pakistan and England that followed in the next few months, playing some valuable innings and taking occasional wickets with his off-spin, accumulating 663 runs at an average of 30.13 in his first 12 Tests.[9]

Thereafter, however, his Test form deserted him and his final eight Tests over the next seven years yielded only 71 runs.[9] He played his last three Tests in New Zealand's tour of the West Indies in 1972, as a replacement for Richard Collinge, who had to return to New Zealand due to the death of his infant child.[10] In these three Tests Morgan made only eight runs and took one wicket.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ross Morgan". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Central Districts v Auckland 1964-65". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Wellington v Auckland 1964-65". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b R. T. Brittenden, Red Leather, Silver Fern, A. H. & A. W. Reed, Wellington, 1965, p. 30.
  5. ^ "Auckland v Canterbury 1968-69". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Annual Report 2018-2019" (PDF). Parnell Cricket Club. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  7. ^ "2nd Test, Auckland, Jan 29 – Feb 2 1965, Pakistan tour of New Zealand". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  8. ^ "3rd Test, Christchurch, Feb 12 – Feb 16 1965, Pakistan tour of New Zealand". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Test Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Ross Morgan". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Test Cricket Tours – New Zealand to West Indies 1971-72". Test-cricket-tours.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  11. ^ Henry Blofeld, "New Zealand in the West Indies, 1971-72", Wisden 1973, pp. 879–98.
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